A      -7 


U.  S.  DEPARTMENT   OF   AGRICULTURE, 

BUREAU  OF  SOILS— BULLETIN  No.  37. 

MILTON     WHITOEY,   Chief. 


i:XPERTMENTS  IN  GROWING  CUBAN  SEED 
TOBACCO  IN  ALABAMA. 


BY 


GEORGE  T.  MoNESSand  LEWIS  W.  AYEtt. 


WASHINGTON: 

>.  <  »\  i    i:  n  m  i    \  I      PRINTING     OFFIO] 

1 9  b 


Property  of  the  United  States  Government. 


U.  S.  DEPARTMENT   OF   AGRICULTURE, 

BUREAU  OF  SOILS— BULLETIN  No.  37. 

MILTON     WHITNEY,   Cliief. 


EXPERIMENTS  IX  GROWING  CUBAN  SEED 
TOBACCO  IX  ALABAMA. 


BY 


GEORGE  T.  MoNESS  and  LEWIS  W.  AYKK. 


WASHINGT*  >V 

OOTERNMENT     PRINTING     OFFK    B. 

l  9  0  6. 


BUREAU  OF  SOILS. 


Milton   Whitney,  Chief  of  Bureau. 
Albert  G.  Hick,  chief  Clerk. 

SCIENTIFIC   STAFF. 

Frank  K.  Cameron,  id  charge  of  Soil  Laboratories. 
Frane  D.  Gardner,  in  charge  of  Soil  Management. 
George  T.  McNess,  Id  charge  of  Tobacco  [Dvestigatioos. 
ClaR]  \<  i:  \V.  DORBEY,  ID  charge  of  Alkali   Land   Reclamation. 
Jay  A.  Bonsteel,  in  charge  of  Soil  Survey. 
Oswald  Schreiner,  in  charge  of  Fertility  Investigations. 

ASSISTANTS    IN    TOBACCO    [NVESTIGATIONS. 

Walter    M.    Ilinson.  Henry    WeiDberg. 

George   B.    Afassey.  .         Otto  OIsod. 
J.   B.    Stewart.  R.   S.    Bpley. 

Lewis  w.  Ayer.  W.  \v.  Green. 

B.  II.   Mathewson.  George  W.  Harris. 

Harry  Rich.  Win.  B.  s<  brader. 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


I'.  s.  Department  of  Agriculture, 

Bureau  of  Soils. 
Washington,  D.  ('..  October  9,  1906. 
Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  accompanying  manuscript 
report  on  the  work  of  introducing  the  production  of  Cuban  seed 
tobacco  into  central  Alabama.  The  report  -hows  the  progress  of  the 
work  during  the  three  year-  that  experiments  have  been  carried  on 
in  this  State.  On  the  whole  the  result-  are  very  gratifying,  and  seem 
to  indicate  the  ultimate  establishing  of  a  profitable  tobacco  industry 
in  this  part   of  the  country.      I    would   recommend   the  publication   of 

this  report  a-  Bulletin  37  of  the  Bureau  of  Soil-. 
Very  respect  fully. 

Milton  Whitnei  . 

Ohii  f  of  Ban  <">. 
I  Ion.  James  Wilson, 

s     r<  tary  of  Agricultun  . 

3 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/alabasingroOOmcne 


EXPERIMENTS  IN  GROWING  CUBAN  SEED  TOBACCO  IX 

ALABAMA. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Alabama  has  never  been  recognized  as  a  tobacco-producing  State, 
altho  the  climate  and  certain  soils  in  different  parts  of  the  State 
are  well  adapted  to  it-  culture.  Prior  to  1903  tobacco  was  grown 
only  for  home  use.  This  Mas  usually  cured  by  sun  and  air  and  used 
almost  entirely  for  pipe  smoking.  A  very  small  part  of  it  was  stript 
and  made  into  twisi  for  chewing,  but  the  manufacture  was  of  the 
crudest  character.  The  plant  was  grown  in  all  but  three  counties, 
the  yield  averaging  between  200  and  300  pounds  to  the  acre,  which 
in  it-elf  indicates  careless  cultivation.  Before  1*7(.>  more  than  one- 
third  of  all  the  tobacco  produced  in  the  State  was  grown  in  the  eight 
counties  lying  along  the  Tennessee  River.  The  crop  of  these  counties, 
grown  on  757  acres,  yielded  about  L63,2 1<»  pound-,  and  was  mainly 
consumed  at  home.  At  the  present  time  -mall  patches  of  tobacco 
can  be  found  scattered  all  over  the  State,  but  no  attempts  have  been 
made  to  build  up  a  tobacco  industry. 

In  L902  the  Bureau  of  Soil>  made  a  -oil  survey  of  Perry  County 
and  in  L904  of  Dallas  County  and  found  in  these  counties  -oil-  resem- 
bling the  Partidos  -oil  oi  Cuba  and  similar  also  t<>  -oil-  in  east 
Texas  and  Florida,  where  Cuban  -eed  tobacco  i-  being  successfully 
grown.  Later  it  was  decided  to  extend  the  tobacco  experiments  in 
growing  Cuban  leaf  tobacco  to  this  section,  and  the  present  bulletin 
describes  the  progress  of  the  work  there. 

CLIMATE. 

In  climate  central  Alabama  i-  typical  of  a  large  part  of  the  Gulf 
States.  The  winters  are  mild,  with  an  occasional  cold  -pell  which 
seldom  lasts  longer  than  three  day-.  The  groia  ing  season  is  long,  but 
the  heat  of  summer  is  not  so  great  a-  in  some  more  northern  interior 
sections,  and  the  temperature  seldom  rises  above  H,n     I"\    The  aver 

age  date  of  the  first   killing  frost    fall-  in  the  second   week   in    \o\eiu 

ber,  while  the  last  killing  frost  in  spring  occurs  about  the  middle  of 
March. 


0  EXPERIMENTS    IN    GROWING    CUBAN    SEED    TOBACCO. 

Normal  monthly  and  annual  temperature  <n><l  precipitation  in  central  Alabama. 


Selma. 

Marion. 

(Jniontown. 

M.mth. 

Temper- 

Precipi- 

Temper- 

Precipi- 

Temper- 

Precipi- 

ature. 

tation. 

ature. 

tation. 

ature. 

tation. 

°F. 

Inches. 

°F. 

Indus. 

°F. 

Inches. 

Januarv  

40.0 

1.68 

17.7 

3.  95 

47.1 

1.75 

February  

47.8 

6.28 

47.  0 

5.86 

6.44 

March 

58.1 

7.37 

55.9 

4.62 

56.3 

April 

63.6 

1.  11 

65.5 

3.50 

3.95 

May 

72.  3 

2.  65 

72.  ti 

3.03 

73.5 

4.00 

June 

78.9 

1.23 

3.73 

80.1 

l.  15 

July 

81.4 

1.67 

80.7 

4.89 

81.7 

August 

80.6 

5.65 

80.6 

L88 

80.8 

1.75 

September 

76.0 

2.04 

75.  1 

3.08 

76.  6 

October 

66.  l 

2. 15 

2. 63 

67.0 

2.01 

November 

54.8 

8.  22 

55.0 

3.04 

56. 0 

•     3.10 

December 

47.3 

4.44 

IN.  2 

4.24 

50.3 

3.88 

Year 

63.9 

51.72 

64.4 

47.45 

66.  3 

50.65 

The  data  given  in  the  foregoing  table  are  fairly  representative 
of  the  condition-  as  regard-  the  temperature  and  rainfall  of  the  re- 
gion within  which  the  experiments  were  carried  on.  A  table  giving 
the  actual  rainfall  for  liK)4  and  1905  on  the  experimental  field  will 
be  given  later.  But  before  leaving  the  question  of  general  climatic 
features  it  will  be  interesting  to  compare  the  figures  given  above  for 
the  months  of  the  growing  season  with  similar  data  for  Habana, 
Cuba,  to  sec  if  there  are  any  broad  differences  that  might  indicate 
the  impracticability  of  approximating  a  Cuban  type  of  leaf. 

Comparative  table  of  temperature  and  precipitation  for  six  months  of  growing 

season   in   Alabama   ami   Cuba. 


Alabama. 

Sabana,  Cuba. 

Selma. 

Marion. 

Month. 

Tempera- 
ture. 

Precipi- 
tation. 

Month. 

Tempera-    Precipi- 
ture.        tat  ion. 

Tempera- 
ture. 

Precipi- 
tation. 

/'.         Inches. 
68.6            1.  II 
72.3            2.65 

Ml             1.67 

80.6 

76.0            2.  ul 

i 

72.  6 
79.  8 
80.7 
B0. 6 
76.  i 

Inches. 

8.03 
8. 7.'. 

1.88 
8.08 

I  ictober 

F 

78.1 
75. 8 

71.  i 

Tii.:; 

72.  0 
78.  2 

Inches. 
-   19 

May 

\o\  ember 

December 

L24 

1.98 

July 

Six  months  . 

six  months . . . 

75.  5           23.  68 

75.7 

28.11 

73.4 

22. 00 

Regarding  the  averages  for  the  >i.\  months,  there  is  seen  to  be  a 
.  In  <•  correspondence  between  the  figures  Tor  Selma  ami  Marion 
mid  those  lor  Habana.  Examined  mouth  by  month,  there  are  differ 
ences  which  may  have  considerable  effed  in  differentiating  the  char- 
acter of  the  leaf.  At  Habana  the  temperature  is  equable,  the  ex- 
tremes being  <>ul\  8  F.  apart,  while  at  Selma  there  i-  a  range  of  L8 
F.  and  at  Marion  L5  F.  At  Habana  the  rainfall  is  very  much 
heavier  during  the  first  two  months  of  (he  period  ami  very  much  less 
for  the  remainder  of  the  growing  season. 


soils.  y 

As  no  records  of  relative  humidity  have  been  kept  at  Selma  and 
Marion,  the  following  table  is  given  to  afford  a  comparison  of  the 
mean  monthly  relative  humidity  for  the  growing  season  as  recorded 
at  Montgomery.  Ala.,  which  is  probably  representative  of  the  area 
under  consideration,  and  at  Habana. 

Mean  monthly  relative  humidity  at  Montgomery,  Ala.,  and  Habana,  Cuba. 


Montgomery. 


Month. 


April 

May 

June 

July 

August 
September. 


81 

.  m. 

8  p.  m. 

36 

61 

88 

69 

81 

64 

87 

66 

90 

74 

87 

64 

Habana. 

Month. 

Mean. 

October  . .. 

78 

November. 
December  . 
January . . . 

73 

76 

February . . 

73 

March 

71 

Turning  now  to  local  conditions  during  the  period  the  experiments 
were  conducted,  it  will  be  noticed  that  during  the  early  part  of  the 
season  the  climatic  conditions  were  unfavorable,  dry  weather  and 
hot  winds  seriously  retarding  the  growth  of  the  plants,  altho  later 
the  climatic  conditions  were  favorable  to  the  maturing  of  the  tobacco. 
The  following  table  shows  the  precipitation  during  the  growing 
seasons  of  1004  and  1905  upon  the  experimental  field  at  Marion: 

Precipitation  during  growing  season  at  Marion.  Ala. 


Date. 

Precipi- 
tation. 

Date. 

Precipi- 
tation. 

Date. 

Precipi- 
tation. 

Date. 

Precipi- 
tation. 

L904. 

Inr!i<.<. 

1904. 

Inches. 

1905. 

Inches. 

1905. 

Inches. 

Apr.      26 

0.  ■_'•"> 

July  L'7 

0.15 

M;iv      8 

0.62 

Julv    25 

0.10 

Mav       7 

.32 

28 

.64 

It 

.19 

1.10 

1:5 

.->■> 

29 

1 .  56 

15 

1.68 

29 

.10 

If. 

aug.     l 

.61 

16 

27 

30 

27 

.::. 

3 

.•20 

21 

.71 

A.Ug.      1 

- 

::0 

6 

.20 

.31 

•> 

Jane     6 

.60 

7 

1.06 

23 

.12 

- 

.81 

'.» 

80 

.11 

'.»... 

22 

.71 

in 

1.08 

June  13 

.15 

10 

10 

July      3 

1.8] 

11 

.•_'() 

17 

.  2'.' 

11 

;> 

.'.'1 

is 

.  •)'.' 

12 

•; 

.10 

L906. 

•21 

.09 

I:'. 

.10 

7 

.08 

Apr.     :;  

.•21 

■  >■> 

.in 

11 

9 

.:;i 

•1 

.1:5 

26 

1.05 

15 

.  iu 

11 

.11 

.11 

29 

.'.HI 

16 

11 

17 

1.81 

15 

1.06 

July 

is 

.  10 

19 

.05 

25 .  .  . 

1.05 

.   If. 

1'.' 

.  10 

21 

.82 

26 

.■2:; 

17 

.  I.'- 

•  > 

:  ■ 

21 

.  11 

2.21 

.07 

28 

1 .  28 

May     7 

.07 

BOILS. 

Of  ili«'  various  types  of  -oil-  to  be  found  in  the  Southern  States 
those  of  the  ( Orangeburg  series  arc  bes  t  adapted  for  the  production  of 
'"•'Ii  •■'mar  wrapper  and  lill. a-  tobacco.  'I'll.-  two  soils  of  thi-  series 
used  in  tin-  experiments  in  central  Alabama  arc  the  Orangeburg  fine 
sandy  loam  and  the  ( Orangeburg  clay. 

I  loss      \1(.    ::t      in;    y      — •> 


10 


EXPERIMENTS    IN    GROWING    (THAN     SEED    TOBACCO. 


ORANGEBUBG    FINE    SANDY    LOAM. 

The  surface  soil  of  the  Orangeburg  fine  sandy  loam  consists  of  a 
gray  to  reddish  fine  sandy  loam,  with  a  depth  of  15  inches,  overlying 
a  red  sandy  clay.  This  soil  frequently  contain-  -mall  iron  concre- 
tions and  at  time-  hand-  of  fine  gravel.  It  i>  one  of  the  widely  dis- 
tributed soils  of  this  part  of  the  State.  It  varies  in  topography 
from  rolling  to  quite  hilly,  and  the  drainage  is  good.  In  places  the 
type  shows  decided  erosion,  and  where  the  washing  is  developed 
with  some  uniformity  over  sufficient  territory  the  soil  grades  into 
the  Orangeburg  clay.  The  Orangeburg  hue  sandy  loam  is  derived 
from  the  sands  and  clays  of  the  Lafayette  mantle  and  i-  one  of  the 
characteristic  soil  products  of  this  geological  horizon.  The  Lafay- 
ette formation  has  been  subjected  to  great  erosion  since  its  elevation 
above  water,  resulting  in  the  very  uneven  surface  features  now  found. 
Sandy  ridges  vary  with  gravel-capped  hills,  while  in  many  directions 
the  small  streams  have  developed  their  miniature  valley  systems 
often  to  a  surprizing  degree.  Much  of  this  soil  is  still  in  forest, 
composed  of  a  fair,  mixt  growth  of  pine,  hickory,  black  oak.  and 
red  oak.  in  which  lumbering  is  occasionally  conducted.  The  gravel- 
capped  hills  and  ridges  must  be  separated  as  the  gravelly  phase  of 
this  type. 

The  following  table  o-ives  the  average  results  of  mechanical  analyses 
of  samples  of  the  Orangeburg  fine  sandy  loam: 

Mechanical  analyses  of  Orangeburg  fine  sandy  loam. 


Number. 

Description. 

Fine 
gravel. 

( loarse 
Mind. 

Medium 
Band. 

Pine 
Band. 

Very  fine 
Band. 

silt. 

Clay. 

12700,12702.. 
12701   12708 

Soil 

Per  <■>  ni. 
1.8 

.:: 

Per  •■<  nt. 
L2.2 

Per  cent. 

VI.  1 

7.6 

i;  r  •■<  nt. 
36.  7 
•_'."..  2 

I'i  r  n  nt. 
16.  1 
L2.5 

I'i  r  ci  lit. 

li.:. 

IN.    1 

FV  /•  <•<  ///. 

ORANG1  i:i   RQ    CLAY 


The  Orangeburg  clay  consists  of  a  dark-red.  heavy,  sandy  loam. 
of  a  depth  not  exceeding  I  inches,  overlying  a  red,  sandy  clay  subsoil. 
In  cultivated  areas  the  transition  between  the  soil  and  subsoil  is  more 
gradual  owing  to  the  effects  of  plowing  and  high  bedding.  The  soil 
occurs  in  the  more  elevated  parts  of  the  uplands  in  both  Perry  and 

Dallas  counties.       [ts  topography   is  at   times  wry   hilly,  DU1    there  arc 

frequently  to  be  found  high  but  fairly  level  areas  which  make  very 
good  farming  lands.  The  occurrence  of  such  level  tracts  in  the  most 
elevated  part  of  the  uplands  indicates  that  the  present  crests  of  the 
hills  and  ridges  were  once  the  plane  of  an  extensive  and  imil'ormlx 
level  peneplain,  and  these  hilltops  and  ridges  arc  the  results  of  exces 
give  erosion   upon    such  a   peneplain   and   by   no  means  due  to  any 


EXPERIMENT    OF    1903. 


11 


process  of  violent  uplift.  The  soil  is  well  drained,  and  in  the  hillier 
areas  must  be  protected  from  washing. 

The  Orangeburg  clay  owes  its  origin  to  marked  erosion  of  the  La- 
fayette sands  and  clays  in  the  uplands  and  is  developed  where  the 
sandy  surface  soil  is  measurably  removed  from  such  soils,  as  the 
Orangeburg  fine  sand  and  the  Orangeburg  hue  sandy  loam. 

The  tracts  of  Orangeburg  clay  are  very  generally  cleared  in  this 
region,  the  native  growth  being  mostly  hardwood.  It  i>  said,  how- 
ever, that  while  crop-  produce  more  on  this  soil  in  good  seasons  than 
on  the  sandier  types,  they  are  likely  to  sutler  from  drought  even  more 
than  on  the  sandy  typo.  The  soil  has  naturally  a  higher  moisture 
capacity  than  the  sandier  -oils,  and  its  liability  to  drought  must  be 
traced  to  the  fact  that  it  is  plowed  too  shallow.  This  -hallow  plow- 
ing IS  not  so  prejudicial  on  the  sandy  soils,  because  there  i-  always  a 
considerable  sandy  root  zone  before  the  clay  is  reached.  But  on  this 
clay  soil,  unless  plowed  deep,  the  crops  are  unable  to  develop  a  -ulli- 
ciently  deep  root  system  in  the  unbroken  clay,  and  the  surface  roots 
suffer  as  soou  a-  the  shallow-tilled  surface  dries  out. 

The  average  results  of  mechanical  analyses  of  sample-  of  the 
Orangeburg  clay  are  given  in  the  following  table: 

Mechanical  analyses  of  Orangeburg  clay. 


Number. 

Description. 

Pine 
gravel. 

Band. 

Medium 

sand. 

Fine 
sand. 

Very  linr 
Band. 

Silt. 

Clay. 

l_7.it,.  12704.. 

Soil 

0.0 
Tr. 

l'<  r  <■>  ut. 
1.  1 
1.1 

/'</•    C(   lit. 

Per  nut. 

l'<  r  Ct  lit. 

1.:; 

l'<  r  a  nt. 
19.  1 
16. 6 

/V  r  c<  nt. 
"'  7 

1  '7u7.  12705. . 

Subsoil 

13  7 

EXPERIMENT  OF    L903. 

The  experiments  in  Alabama  were  begun  in  the  spring  of  L903. 
Arrangements  were  made  with  Mi-.  ('.  II.  Greer,  of  Marion,  for  the 
use  of .",  acres  of  land  —  1  acre  of  the  ( Orangeburg  line  sandy  loam  and  '2 
acres  of  I  he  ( Orangeburg  clay  barn-,  etc..  under  the  follow  inn-  agree- 
ment : 

l.  All  the  necessary  land  and  shed  room  for  •"-  acres  shall  be  donated  free  of 
charge  bj   tin-  owner. 

'J.  The  Department  of  Agriculture  shall  provide  and  paj  for  such  fertilizer 
(»r  manure  in  quantity  and  kind  .-is  may  be  needed;  shall  prepare  the  land, 
plant  the  crop,  and  cultivate  and  harvest  (lie  same. 

•"».  The  Department  of  Agriculture  shall  furnish  teams  and  tools  at  such 
Limes  as  may  be  necessarj   for  the  cultivation  and  care  "i"  the  crops. 

I.  The  Department  of  Agriculture  shall  have  entire  control  of  iii«'  production 
.imi  handling  <>r  the  tobacco  in  Buch  warehouses  and  such  places  as  maj  seem 
desirable,  and  shall  in  no  waj  be  hampered  or  Interfered  with  bj  tin-  wishes 
or  \  i«'\\  s  of  t  he  "\\  ner. 

•V  in  c.-iM'  iin-  experiment   i->  h  success  and  a  desirable  tyi I  Cuban  filler 

leaf  is  produced,  in  order  i<»  get  a  free  and  reliable  opinion  of  the  commercial 


L2  EXFEBIMENTS    IN    GROWING    CUBAM    SEED    TOBACCO. 

value  of  such  leaf  and  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  market  therefor,  the 

Department  reserve-  the  right  to  retain  for  free  distribution  to  dealers  and 
manufacturers  any  amount  up  to  50  per  cent  of  the  crop  without  compensa- 
tion to  the  owner.  It  is  further  agreed  that  a  person  selected  by  the  Chief  of 
1  lie  Bureau  of  Soils  will  be  designated  as  the  owner's  agent  to  sell  on  the  most 
favorable  terms  possible  the  remainder  of  the  tobacco  and  deliver  the  gross  pro- 
ceeds to  the  owner  of  the  land,  it  being  clearly  recognized  that  the  crop  belongs 
to  the  owner  and  not  to  the  Department,  the  Department  merely  acting  as  an 
agent  in  a  cooperative  experiment  to  demonstrate  to  the  people  of  Alabama 
that  a  high  quality  of  Cuban  seed  tiller  leaf  can  be  produced  on  a  certain  soil 
found  in  the  course  of  the  soil  survey  and  to  secure  reliable  and  accurate  in- 
formation as  to  the  value  placed  on  this  product  by  leaf  dealers  and  cigar  manu- 
facturers. 

The  field  on  which  this  experiment  was  conducted  was  situated  on 
the  outskirts  of  Marion  and  contained  two  types  of  soil — the  Orange- 
burg  clay  and  the  Orangeburg  line  sandy  loam.  The  surface  of  the 
land  was  rolling;  in  fact,  a  hillside.  In  the  upper  part  the  soil  was 
loamy,  while  on  the  steeper  slopes  it  contained  more  clay,  owing  to 
tin-  partial  washing  away  of  the  top  soil,  altho  the  land  had  been 
terraced  to  prevent  this  washing.  Altho  a  small  plant  bed  was  made. 
owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  season  it  was  found  impossible  to  pro- 
duce enough  plants  at  Marion  for  this  experiment,  so  that  most  of 
die  plants  used  were  shipped  by  express  from  the  Bureau's  experi- 
ment station  at  Nacogdoches,  Tex.  These  were  transplanted  to  the 
field  as  they  arrived. 

.About  March  '21  the  soil  was  prepared  by  breaking  it  broadcast  to 
a  depth  of  6  inches.  A  deeper  plowing  would  have  been  better,  but 
owing  to  the  compactness  of  the  soil  it  was  almost  impossible  to  pre- 
pare the  land  deeper.  After  plowing  a  wooden  drag  or  clod  breaker 
was  used,  as  on  the  part  of  the  field  containing  the  most  clay  the  plow 
icft  many  clods,  and  in  order  that  the  field  should  be  in  the  best  me- 
chanical condition  it  was  necessary  that  these  should  be  broken  np. 
Well-rotted  stable  manure  was  procured  from  the  local  livery  stable 
and  this  was  applied  broadcast  on  the  land  at  the  rate  of  10  two  horse 
loads  to  the  acre.  Stable  manure  was  used  in  preference  to  commer- 
cial fertilizer  because  of  the  lack  of  humus  in  the  soil.  This  was 
plowed  tinder  and  the  land  allowed  to  lie  in  this  condition  until  the 
middle  of  April,  wlien  the  -oil  was  bedded  up  in  rows  3  feet  apart. 
During  the  time  the   land    \v;i>  being  prepared   (he   weather   Was   very 

dry  and  some  difficulty  was  experienced  in  getting  the  soil  in  good 
condition. 

On  April  L8  there  was  a  good  rain,  and  transplanting  was  com- 
menced on  the  Orangeburg  line  sandy  loam,  but  about  April  '_T>  the 
weather  again   became  cool   and   dry,   which   conditions   were  bad    for 

the  young  plant-  set  in  the  field.  The  cutworms  also  caused  some 
trouble,  necessitating  considerable  resetting.    Transplanting  and  re 

setting  were  continued  until  May  •).  0D  which  date  the  entire  8  acres 


EXPERIMENT    OF    1904.  13 

had  been  set  and  a  good  stand  obtained.  The  tobacco  on  the  upper 
part  of  the  field,  or  the  Orangeburg  fine  sandy  loam,  made  a  good 
growth,  but  that  planted  on  the  Orangeburg  clay  started  growing 
very  slowly.     On  May  16  there  were  experienced  some  very  heavy 

rains,  and  on  the  clay  land  about  3,000  plant-  were  lost  by  drowning. 
These  were  resel  as  soon  as  the  climatic  conditions  became  favorable 
From  this  time  until  June  13  the  weather  conditions  were  favorable, 
with  the  exception  of  a  slight  hail  storm  on  May  30,  which,  however. 
did  very  little  actual  injury  to  the  crop.  The  tobacco  on  the  loamy 
soil  continued  to  make  good  growth,  and  on  June  6  it  had  reached 
the  height  of  4  feet  (see  V\.  I),  while  that  planted  on  the  clay  soil 
seemed  to  be  stunted  and  some  of  the  plants  had  budded.  About 
June  20  there  occurred  a  period  of  drought,  and  some  part-  of  the 
crop  began  to  fire  at  the  bottom  of  the  stalk:  but  on  June  27  there 
was  another  rain  and  the  tobacco  seemed  to  take  on  a  fresh  growth, 
the  condition  of  the  crop  over  the  entire  field  being  promising,  and 
especially  so  on  the  Orangeburg  line  sandy  loam,  where  about  1  acre 
of  the  tobacco  was  5  feet  high. 

Harvesting  was  commenced  "the  latter  pari  of  June,  when  the 
tobacco  that  was  first  planted  was  cut  and  hung  in  the  barn  to  cine. 
About  July  16  it  began  to  rain,  and  continued  showery  for  ten  days, 
which  necessitated  the  placing  of  (ires  in  the  barn  to  prevent  the 
tobacco  becoming  damaged  from  pole  sweat  and  mold.  By  July  L9 
all  of  the  crop  was  hung  in  the  barn.  From  this  time  on  the  climatic 
condition-  were  favorable,  there  being  alternate  damp  and  dry 
periods,  which  greatly  facilitated  the  curing  of  the  leaf.  ()n  July  27 
the  tobacco  that  was  firsl  hung  in  the  barn  was  taken  from  the  poles 
and  stript,  and  this  work  continued  until  Augu-t  1.  by  which  time  all 
the  crop  had  been  stripl  and  packed  in  boxes  ready  for  shipment  to 
Nacogdoches,  Tex.,  where  it  went  thin  the  process  of  fermentation  in 
the   Bureau's  warehouse.      The  3  acre-  yielded    1. •*)<>'>   pounds  of  (Mired 

tobacco,  or  an  average  of  135  pounds  of  merchantable  tobacco  to  the 
acre, 

EXPERl  WENT  OF   1904. 

Owing  to  the  abnormal  season  of   1903,  when  drought   toward   the 
time  of  harvest   prevented  the  tobacco  from  ripening  properly,  and 
because  of  the  marked  effects  of  climate  on  the  quality  of  tobacco,  ii 
w  a-  not  considered  fair  to  draw  final  conclusions  regarding  the  adapt 
ability  of  Perry  County  -oil  and  climate  to  the  production  of  a  Cuban 

seed  filler  from  that  season's  experiment.     Therefore  arrangements 
were  made  with  M r.  John  Sprotl  for  leasing  1  |  acres  o(  Orangeburg 
line  sandy  loam  and  l  j  acres  of  <  Orangeburg  ••lay.  together  w  iih  facili 
ties  for  curing  the  tobacco.     Team-  and  tools  were  also  furnished  the 
Bureau  by  Mr.  Sprotl  at  reasonable  price-.    The  two  fields  on  which 


14  EXPERIMENTS    IX    GROWING    CUBAN    SEED    TOBACCO. 

this  experiment  was  conducted  lie  sonic  7  miles  east  of  Marion,  across 
the  Cahaba  River.     The  Orangeburg  line  sandy  loam  field  is  situated 

in  what  ir-  known  as  the  second  bottoms  and  the  previous  year  had 
been  planted  in  corn  followed  by  cow  pea-.  The  Orangeburg  clay 
field  was  situated  on  the  top  of  a  hill,  of  which  there  are  many  in 
this  locality,  and  had  for  several  years  prior  to  1904  been  fanned  by 
tenants,  who  used  it  for  cotton.  Consequently  the  field  was  pretty 
well  depleted  of  vegetable  matter  and  not  in  such  good  mechanical 
condition  as  the  Orangeburg  line  sandy  loam  Held.  These  distinct 
types  of  the  Orangeburg  series  were  selected  to  make  possible  a 
further  comparison  of  their  relative  merits  in  the  culture  of  tobacco. 
The  results  of  the  previous  year's  experiment  were  clearly  in  favor  of 
the  loamy  soil,  which  stood  the  extremes  of  the1  weather  better  than 
the  clay  soil,  besides  responding  more  readily  to  fertilization:  hut  the 
test  in  that  year,  owing  to  shallow  plowing  of  the  clay  soil  and  the 
unfavorable  season,  was  not  considered  definitive. 

PREPARATION    OF    SEED    BED. 

The  preparation  of  the  seed  bed  was  begun  on  February  '1  by  cut- 
ting the  wood  necessary  for  burning  the  bed.  but  on  account  of  the 
unfavorable  weather  conditions  the  actual  burning  of  the  bed  was  not 
commenced  until  February  11.  This  was  performed  by  placing  poles 
across  the  bed.  CJpon  these  poles  was  placed  the  cord  wood  and  brush 
which  formed  the  fire.  This  was  allowed  to  burn  until  the  soil  had 
become  heated  several  inches  deep,  when  it  was  drawn  over  another 
section  of  the  bed.  fresh  brush  and  wood  being  continually  placed 
upon  the  fire,  SO  as  to  form  a  good  bed  of  ashes  upon  the  burned  land. 
This  Operation  of  dragging  the  fire  was  repeated  until  the  entire  sur- 
face of  (he  bed  had  been  treated.  The  bed  was  then  allowed  to  cool 
oil',  and  before  the  ashes  from  the  fire  could  be  blown  away  by  the 
wind  or  washt  off  by  the  rain  the  bed  was  dug  up  and  all  the  large 
roots  removed.  After  this  work  had  been  performed  a  line-toothed 
rake  was  used  to  remove  all  the  line  roots  and  trash,  thus  leaving  the 
l)C(|  in  a  line  pulverulent  condition.  Cotton-seed  meal  was  then  ap- 
plied broadcast  at  the  rate  of  loo  pounds  for  the  242  square  yards  of 
the  bed.      This   was   worked    into  the  surface  of  the  soil   and    the  bed 

was  raked  and  leveled  oil'  again,  thus  leaving  it  in  the  best  possible 
condit ion  for  receii  ing  the  seed. 

Poles  were  then  placed  around  the  bed  and  made  secure  by  stakes, 
earth  being  drawn  up  to  the  poles  on  the  outside  so  as  to  prevent 

;i  1 1 1 1 1 «_»  of  the  bed  iii  the  ("is1  of  heavy  ram-.     For  the  convenience 

of   the    laborer-    when    watering  or    weeding   had    to   be   done,   the   bed 

was  di\  ided  into  three  sections. 


PREPARATION     OF    LAND.  15 

The  seed  was  sown  on  February  IS  at  the  rate  of  a  tablespoonful 
to  every  10  square  yards  of  bed.  Seed  imported  from  the  Vuelta 
Abajo  district  of  Cuba  was  used,  and  after  being  -own  was  lightly 
covered  and  watered.  The  entire  bed  was  then  covered  with  cheese 
cloth  as  a  protection  against  insects  and  heavy  rain-.  During  dry 
weather  the  bed  was  watered  every  morning  and  when  necessary 
weeded  and  poisoned,  and  by  April  21  the  plant-  were  Large  enough 
to  transplant. 

PREPARATION    OF    LAND. 

In  preparing  the  -oil  (Orangeburg  clay)  on  the  Sprotl  hill  a 
••  scooter  "  plow  was  used  to  Loosen  the  soil  on  each  side  of  the  old  cot- 
ton -talk-,  this  field  having  the  previous  year  been  planted  to  cotton. 
The  -talks  were  then  pulled  up  and  placed  in  piles  and  burned. 
Owing  to  the  lack  of  organic  matter  and  the  compactness  of  the  -oil. 
it  wa-  deemed  advisable  to  plow  the  land  with  a  Long  "  scooter  "  plow, 
a-  a  hardpan  or  plow  sole  had  been  formed  about  4  inches  under  the 
soil  thru  continued  -hallow  plowing.  The  land  was  plowed  in  both 
direction-  and  to  a  depth  of  8  Inches.  Still  deeper  plowing  would 
have  been  better,  but  owing  to  the  condition  of  the  -oil  it  wa-  impos- 
sible with  the  tool-  available.  A  furrow  was  then  Laid  oil'  every  3 
feet,  and  in  this  furrow  were  placed  500  pound-  of  cotton-seed  meal 
and  500  pounds  of  cotton-seed  hull-  per  acre.  This  wa-  thoroly 
incorporated  with  the  -oil.  after  which  two  -hallow  fin-rows  were 
turned  on  it.  thus  forming  a  ridge  or  -mall  flat  bed  upon  which  the 
plants  were  to  be  set. 

The  Orangeburg  line  sandy  loam  held  was  found  to  be  in  a  much 
better  mechanical  condition  than  the  clay  held.  The  former  had 
been  in  corn  and  cow  pea-  the  previous  year,  and  in  the  fall  the  corn- 
stalks and  cow  pea  -nibble  had  been  plowed  under  with  a  2-horse 
turn  plow,  thus  adding  considerable  humus  a-  well  a-  about  l<» 
pounds  of  nitrogen  t<>  tie-  acre,  furnished  l>\  the  cow  pea  -nibble. 
Most  of  this  vegetable  matter  had  decayed  during  the  winter.  A  few 
of  the  corn-talk-  remained,  and  a-  these  would  be  a  considerable 
hindrance  in  the  cultivation  of  tobacco  the}  were  gathered  and 
burned.  The  -oil  in  this  field  being  a  sandy  loam,  underlain  by  a 
•  •lay  at  a  depth  of  about    II   inches,  it   was  much  easier  to  prepare 

than   the  other.      The  held   wa-  bedded,    four   furrOWS  to  a   row.   with  a 

L -horse  plow.     Into  the   furrow   thus   formed   was  placed   the  same 
amount  of  fertilizer  as  was  used  on  the  Sprott  hill  field.     This  was 

thoroly    niixt    with    the  -oil    with   a    round-hovel    plow    and    two   lurn 

furrows  placed  upon  it.  thus  forming  a  slight  ridge.  In  this  condi- 
tion both  fields  were  Left  until  the  plant-  were  Large  enough  to  trans 
plant. 


16  EXPERIMENTS    IX    GROWING    CUBAN    SEED    TOBACCO. 


rBANSPLANTING. 


Several  day-  before  transplanting  the  young  plants  from  the  bed 
into  the  field,  the  cloth  was  taken  off  the  bed  for  the  purpose  of  hard- 
ening the  plants  >o  they  would  be  better  able  to  withstand  the  heat 
of  the  >un  after  being  set  out.     Transplanting  was  begun  in  the 

Orangeburg  fine  sandy  loam  field  on  April  21  and  in  the  Orange- 
burg  clay  field  on  May  9.  the  entire  crop  of  3  acres  being  set  out  by 
May  13.  Owing  to  the  dryness  of  the  weather  at  this  period,  great 
care  had  to  be  exercised  both  in  pulling  the  plants  from  the  bed  and 
in  transplanting  them  in  the  field.  The  bed  was  first  saturated  with 
water,  so  that  the  plants  could  be  pulled  with  as  little  damage  to  the 
roots  a-  possible.  They  were  then  placed  in  small. boxes  and  con- 
veyed to  the  field,  where  the  following  method  was  used  in  planting: 
Hole-  were  dug  in  the  bed  every  10  inches,  and  into  each  of  these 
about  one-half  pint  of  water  was  poured.  The  plant  was  set  in  the 
moist  soil,  dry  soil  was  drawn  about  it.  and  the  whole  prest  firmly 
about  the  roots.  This  method  of  planting,  altho  rather  tedious, 
gave  very  satisfactory  results,  as  the  dry  soil  prevented  any  baking 
of  the  surface  around  the  plant  and  also  retarded  the  evaporation 
of  moisture. 

In  most  of  the  older  producing  States  tobacco  is  set  by  a  machine, 
Three  men  are  required  to  operate  it.  one  to  drive  and  two  to  W'rA 
the  plants.  It  not  only  opens  the  furrow,  but  waters  and  covers  the 
plants  ;tt  the  -nine  time.  From  3  to  5  acres  can  be  transplanted  in 
a  day  with  one  of  these  tobacco  setters,  and  as  a  rule  better  results 
can  be  obtained  than  where  hand  setting  is  practised.  Tobacco  sel 
by  a  machine  has  been  known  to  grow  and  produce  a  line  crop,  when 
the  climatic  conditions  would  have  been  fatal  to  hand-set  tobacco. 
A-  the  industry  extends  in  Alabama  and  Larger  acreages  are  planted 
by  the  individual  farmers,  there  i-  no  doubt  that  machine  setting  will 

supplant  the  present  method  of  -citing  tobacco. 

CULTIVATION  AND  PROTECTION     kGAINBI     tN SECTS. 

About  ten  day-  after  the  plants  were  sel  in  the  field  they  were  idven 

their  firsl  cultivation.  Hand  hoes  were  used,  breaking  the  crust 
which  had  formed  upon  the  bed  and  placing  fresh  moist  soil  around 
each  plant.  Three  hand  hoeings  were  given  the  crops  in  both  fields, 
after  which  wing  sweeps  were  used  entirely.  While  the  plants  were 
small  a  12-inch  wing  sweep  was  used  for  the  siding  furrows  and  an 

L8  inch    wing   Sweep    to    plow    out    the    middle-,    but    after   the    plants 

were  larger  an  L8  inch  wing  sweep  was  used  for  both  siding  and  mid- 
dle breaking.  Both  fields  were  kept  clean  of  grass  and  weeds  and 
the  last  cultivation  was  giver  each  field  just  after  the  plant-  were 

topt.  Leaving  the  tobacco  on  a  rounded  bed,  with  a  furrow  between 
the  rOWS  deep  enough  to  carry  oil  the  water  after  heavy  rain-.      Shal- 


Bui.  37    L 


Plate  I. 


Bui.  37,  Bureau  of  Soils,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agricultu'e. 


Plate  II. 


Fig.  1. -Carrots  of  Alabama  Cuban  Filler. 


Fig.  2.     Bales  OF  Alabama  Cuuan  h 


TOPPING,  SUCKERIXG,  AND    HARVESTING.  17 

low  and  thoro  cultivation  was  practised  at  all  times,  care  being  taken 
not  to  disturb  the  roots  of  the  plants.  In  cultivating  tobacco  it  is 
necessary  that  the  crop  should  be  plowed  with  a  shallow  cultivating 
implement,  such  as  a  wing  sweep  or  cultivator. 

A  light  mulch  should  always  be  kept  upon  the  surface  of  the  soil 
to  prevent  the  rapid  evaporation  of  moisture  that  occur-  if  the  -oil 
is  left  for  any  length  of  time  without  being  stirred.  It  is  a  frequent 
mistake  among  tobacco  farmers,  even  in  some  of  the  older  tobacco- 
producing  States,  to  give  their  tobacco  crop  a  certain  number  of 
workings  and  then  u  lay  it  by  "  the  same  ;i-  they  would  corn  or  any 
hardier  crop.  They  need  not  be  surprized  if  maximum  yield-  are 
not  -cciired  with  this  method.  Cultivation  should  be  given  the  crop 
at  least  once  a  week,  and  after  each  heavy  rain,  just  a-  soon  a-  the 
condition  of  the  soil  will  permit. 

Several  kinds  of  insects  were  encountered  (hiring  the  various  stages 
of  the  plant*-  growth.  Just  after  transplanting  cutworm-  gave  some 
trouble,  making  it  necessary  to  reset  a  portion  of  the  held.  These 
were  overcome  by  using  paris  green  mixt  with  middling-  or  corn 
meal.  A  mixture  of  paris  green  was  also  used  to  combat  the  ravages 
of  the  bud  worm,  and  when  the  horn  worm  appeared  the  crop  was 
sprayed  every  two  week-  with  a  mixture  consisting  of  1  pound  of 
paris  green.  1  pound  of  lime,  and  L25  gallon-  of  water.0  By  con- 
stant watching  and  the  prompt  application  of  the  proper  remedy, 
insect  pests  were  kept  under  control. 

TOPPING,    SUCKEBING,    AND    HABVESTING. 

The  flower  bud  appeared  from  seven  to  eight  week-  after  setting 
out  the  plant-.  These,  together  with  several  of  the  top  Leaves,  were 
taken  out.  care  being  exercised  that  no  damage  was  done  to  the  rest 
of  the  plant  According  to  the  vitality  of  the  plant,  from  fourteen 
to  sixteen  leaves  were  left  to  mature,  and  in  no  instance,  except 
where  the  plan!  \\;i-  -elected  for  the  production  of  seed,  was  the 
flower  bud  left.  No  definite  rule  can  be  laid  down  as  to  how  many 
leaves  should  be  taken  off  with  the  bud.  a-  the  climatic  conditions 

during    the    growing    Season,    the    purpose     for    which     the    plant     i- 

grown  whether  for  wrapper  or  filler  leaf  it-  vitality,  and  general 
character  must  determine  how    low   or  high  the  topping  should  be 

done. 

Afh-r  the  plants  were  topt  suckers  appeared  at  the  junction  of 
the  leaves  with  the  -talk.  These  were  :ib«>  taken  out  when  large 
enough  t<>  !><•  removed  without  injury  to  the  plant     In  all.  the  crop 

"This  mixture  It  recom oded  by  the  Bureau  of  Entomology.     For  Informa- 
tion on  tobacco  ins.rts  and  meant  of  control  see  Farmers'   Bulletin   No.    120, 
'iiir  Principal   Insects  Affecting  tin-  Tobacco  Plant,  by   L  O.   Howard, 
urologist,  r.  s.  Department  of  Agriculture 


18      EXPERIMENTS  IX  GBOWING  CUBAN  SEED  TOBACCO. 

was  suckered  three  times.  A  few  plants  suckered  freely  before  the 
top  was  taken  <ait.  which  i-  characteristic  of  Cuban  tobacco.     These 

sucker-  were  also  removed  as  soon  as  thev  became  an  inch  loner. 
Suckers  will  appear  on  all  types  of  tobacco  after  it  is  topt,  and  un- 
less they  are  removed  the  quality  of  the  leaf  will  be  affected. 

Harvesting  was  commenced  about  July  8,  when  the  firsl  settings 
were  ripe."  Owing  to  the  unfavorable  weather  conditions  (there 
being  a  considerable  number  of  rainy  days)  and  to  the  irregularity 
of  ripening  on  account  of  the  different  settings,  harvesting  was  not 
concluded  until  August  5. 

In  harvesting  the  crop  the  following  methods  were  used:  As  soon 
as  the  dew  was  oil'  the  leaves  the  tobacco  was  cut  about  2  inches  above 
the  ground  with  a  sickle.  It  was  then  laid  carefully  on  the  ground 
to  wilt,  care  being  taken  not  to  break  any  of  the  leaves.  After  wilt- 
ing sufficiently  to  be  handled  without  breakage  it  was  placed  upon  a 
stretcher  and  carried  to  a  bench  erected  in  a  shady  part  of  the  field 
and  there  speared  upon  laths  1  feet  long.  From  eight  to  twelve  plant-. 
according  to  their  size,  were  placed  upon  each  lath,  a  sufficient  dis- 
tance being  Left  between  plants  to  allow  a  free  circulation  of  air  when 
placed  in  the  barn.  After  spearing  the  plants  were  hung  upon  a 
scaffold  to  wilt  still  further.  Whenever  enough  tobacco  had  been 
speared  to  fill  the  wagon  it  was  hauled,  to  the  (Miring  barn.  In  haul- 
ing the  tobacco  a  special  rack'  was  built  upon  the  wagon,  whereby  the 


<*The  time  when  n  plant  of  tobacco  is  ripe  and  ready  to  be  cut  is  a  matter  of 
judgment  and  experience.  There  is  a  slight  change  in  the  color  of  the  leaf. 
The  loaf  is  observed  to  change  from  a  rank  green  to  a  lighter  shade  of  green, 
yellow  spots  appear,  and  the  loaf  feels  coarse  and  thick  to  the  touch,  it  also 
breaks  easily,  especially  when  the  dew  is  upon  it.  Doctor  Loew,  in  his  Physical 
studies  of  Connecticul  Leaf  Tobacco,  states  that  the  ripening  of  the  leaf  is  not  a 
physiological  hut  a  pathological  phenomenon.  By  the  accumulation  of  nico- 
tine oxidizing  enzyms  and  acids  a  state  is  finally  reached  in  which  the  normal 
deep-green  color  of  the  chlorophyll  grains  gives  way  to  a  yellowish  color. 
A  pipe  ieaf  contains  pei1  tOO  square  centimeters  an  average  of  0.104  gram  of 
matter  soluble  in  running  water,  while  a  young  leaf  contains  only  0.066,  the 
former  baving  therefore  for  an  equal  surface  about  2.5  times  as  much  soluble 
organic  matter  as  the  latter.  As  to  die  total  weight,  the  ripe  leaf  weighs 
from  1.3  to  1.5  on  the  average  1.4  times  as  much  as  an  equal  Burface  of  a 
young  leaf  of  the  same  plant.  It  is  especially  the  nicotine  and  the  protein 
compounds  that  Increase  in  a  ripe  leaf,  a  fact  of  which  anyone  can  soon  con 
vince  himself  by  a  comparison  of  the  reaction  caused  by  phospho-tungstic  acid 
in  the  juice-,  of  ripe  ami  unripe  leaves.  The  amount  or  water  in  ripe  leaves 
averages  83  per  cent  and  in  a  young  leaf  88  per  cent  ;    thai  is,  when  compared 

in    nearly   starch  \'\r^  condition    after   being   Kept    two   days    in   darkness.      As    to 

the    oc;iiied  "overripe"  leaves,  they  contain,  like  the  young  leaves,  relatively 

more   water  and    less  organic   matter   than    the   ripe   leaves.      By    the  Stoppage  of 

the  function  of  the  chlorophyll  grains,  which  gradually  change  in   the  over 

ripe   leaves,   new    production  of  organic  matter    is   prevented   while  consumption 

proceed-. 


MANAGEMENT    OF    THE    CURING    BARN.  19 

laths  of  tobacco  hung  in  a  position  similar  to  that  they  occupied  on 
the  scaffold.  This  method  prevented  the  breaking  and  bruising  of 
the  plants  during  transportation  from  the  field  to  the  barn. 

MANAGEMENT    OF    THE    CURING    BABN. 

Owing  to  the  absence  of  suitable  barns  for  curing,  this  part  of  the 
experiment  was  conducted  under  great  disadvantages.  The  only 
building  available  that  was  at  all  adapted  for  the  purpose  was  an  old- 
fashioned  gin  house.  This  building  had  to  be  repaired  and  the  acc- 
essary tier  pole-  and  other  interior  fittings  provided.  Even  then  it 
was  found  impossible  to  control  the  atmosphere  and  moisture  con- 
ditions. The  tobacco  was  hung  upon  the  tier  poles  a-  soon  a-  re- 
ceived from  the  field,  about  I  inches  of  -pace  being  loft  between  laths 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  building  to  prevent  a  too  rapid  cure,  while 
in  the  body  of  the  barn  more  space  was  given  between  lath-  to  allow 
for  a  free  circulation  of  air.  which  in  the  case  of  damp,  rainy  weather 
prevents  to  some  extent  damage  from  pole  sweat. 

About  the  second  week'  in  A  ugust .  short  ly  after  the  tobacco  had  been 
harvested,  there  was  a  period  of  rainy  weather  which  made  it  neces- 
sary to  build  small  wood  fires  in  the  barn.  In  regular  tobacco  barn--. 
these  fires  are  built  upon  the  dirt  floor,  but  as  this  building  was  two 
stories  high  and  had  wooden  floor-,  it  was  necessary  to  make  small 
shallow  boxes  about  3  feet  square.  These  were  filled  with  -and  and 
upon  this  the  fires  were  built.  This  firing  was  continued  ^\ny  day 
during  the  rainy  period,  the  tobacco  being  thoroly  dried  out  once 
every  twenty-four  hours.  In  this  way  a  good  deal  of  damage  from 
pole  sweat  and  mold  wa-  avoided,  altho.  owing  to  the  lack  of  con- 
veniences and  the  necessity  of  building  small  lire-  (  larger  one-  would 
have  been  dangerous),  a  small  proportion  of  the  crop  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  building  wa-  -lightly  damaged.  A-  climatic  conditions 
and  the  character  of  the  tobacco  determine  to  a  large  extent  the 
method-  to  be  used  in  manipulating  a  barn,  it  i-  impossible  to  lay 
down  definite  rule-  of  procedure,  but  in  a  general  way  the  method  is 
as  follows: 

When  the  weather  is  hot  and  dry  the  barn  is  kept  clo-ed  during 

the  day  and  opened  at  night.  This  allow-  the  tobaCCO  to  become  -oft 
and  pliable  in  the  night,  a-  during  the  (airing  season  in  tiie  South 
there  is  generally  considerable  moisture  in  the  atmosphere  during  the 
night  :  but  whenever  the  weather  is  rainy  and  a  strong  wind  is  blow* 

in-,  it   i-  be-t   to  keep  the  barn  clo-ed  tight  at   night   a-  well  a-  during 

the  day.  either  to  prevent  damage  from  the  excess  of  moisture  or  t«» 
guard  against  injury  to  the  leaf  by  whipping.  During  a  continued 
period  of  wet  and  cloudy  weather  it  is  always  advisable  to  keep  the 

barn  closed  and  to  keep  -mall  wood  or  charcoal  lire-  burning  thruoiit 
the  barn  long  enough  to  dry  out   the  tobacco  once  a  day.     These  lire- 

ahould  be  continued  a-  long  a-  i-  necessary  to  keep  the  tobacco  in 


20  EXPERIMENTS    IX    GROWING    CUBAN    SEED    TOBACCO. 

proper  condition.  When  charcoal  is  not  available,  wood  that  has  as 
little  odor  as  possible  should  be  used,  as  it  is  important  when  curing 
cigar  tobacco  to  avoid  giving  the  leaf  any  foreign  odor.  The  barn 
curing  is  completed  when  the  midribs  of  the  leaves  are  cured,  at  which 
time  the  tobacco  is  ready  to  be  taken  down.  To  get  the  tobacco  in  con- 
dition to  be  handled,  all  the  ventilators  must  be  left  open  the  night 
before.  In  the  morning  the  tobacco  should  be  soft  and  pliable,  but 
not  wet.  and  the  ventilators  should  be  closed  to  retain  the  moisture. 
When  tobacco  is  cured  on  the  stalk,  as  in  Alabama,  four  or  five  weeks 
m  the  barn  will  produce  a  good  cure;  but  whether  it  can  be  stript  as 
soon  as  cured  depends  entirely  on  the  climatic  conditions. 

STRIPPING    AND   TYING. 

During  the  first  damp  weather  after  the  tobacco  had  been  thoroly 
cured,  which  occurred  on  August  29,  a  portion  of  the  crop  was  taken 
from  the  tier  poles  and  stript,  the  barn  having  been  left  open  the 
night  before  to  allow  a  free  circulation  of  moist  air.  which  puts  the 
tobacco  in  good  "  kase."  This  damp  season  was  of  short  duration, 
and  there  was  not  time  to  strip  the  entire  crop.-  From  this  date  up 
to  September  1!>  there  was  a  continuance  of  dry  weather,  but  on  this 
date  a  slight  fog  brought  the  tobacco  on  the  lower  tiers  in  "order." 
and  680  pounds  were  stript  from  the  poles.  The  weather  again 
turned  cool  and  dry  and  no  more  tobacco  could  be  taken  down  until 
October  17.  when  '2(H)  laths  of  tobacco  were  brought  into  order  and 
stript  by  hanging  them  in  an  open  shed  and  saturating  the  dirt  floor 
with  water.  On  November  2  there  was  a  good  rain  which  brought 
the  remaining  tobacco  in  order,  and  by  November  8  the  entire  crop 
had  been  stript  and  graded,  three  grades  being  made,  namely,  sand 
Leaves,  middles,  and  tops.  The  grading  was  done  so  that  the  tobacco 
could  be  better  handled  in  the  warehouse,  as  leaves  from  different 
parts  of  the  plant,  owing  to  their  different  character,  require  different 

treatment  in  the  fermenting  process.  The  tobacco  was  then  tied  into 
hands  containing  from   forty  to  fifty  leaves  and  packed   in  boxes  for 

shipment  to  the  Bureau's  warehouse  at  Nacogdoches,  Tex.,  where  it 
went  thru  the  fermentation  and  final  assorting. 

I  I  KM  I.. MA  I  [ON. 

The  680  pounds  of  tobacco  that  was  shipped  from  Alabama  the 
Latter  part  of  September  was  placed  in  bulk  at  Nacogdoches  on  OctO 
ber  20,  and  the  remainder  of  the  crop  T0(»  pounds  was  bulked  in 
November.  In  fermenting  this  tobacco  the  following  method  was 
used:  To  support  the  bulk  a  platform  was  made,  5  feel  wide  and  L2 
IVet  long,  raised  about  I  Inches  from  the  floor  of  the  fermenting  room. 
At  the  ends  of  this  platform  were  placed  headboards  5  feel  wide  and 

about  <)  feet  high.      A  Her  covering  the  plat  form  and  headboards  wit  h 

paper  the  bulking  was  begun  by  laying  the  two  outer  rows,  placing 


FERMENTATION. 


21 


the  butts  of  the  hands  even  Avith  the  edges  of  the  platform  and  allow- 
ing the  tips  of  the  leaves  to  point  to  the  center.  Then  another  row- 
was  laid  on  each  side  allowing  the  butts  or  heads  to  rest  two-third-  <>f 
the  length  of  the  leaf  from  the  butt-  of  the  first  row.  keeping  the  tip- 
pointing  to  the  center.  A  third  row  was  then  made  on  each  side  in 
the  same  manner.  This  made  six  rows  across  the  width  of  the  plat- 
form, or  sufficient  to  cover  the  floor.  The  second  tier  was  laid  in  the 
same  manner,  and  this  process  was  continued  until  all  of  the  tobacco 
was  bulked.  The  top  of  the  bulk  was  covered  first  with  cotton  blan- 
kets and  then  with  rubber  blankets.  The  tobacco  remained  in  the 
bulk  until  November  12,  when  the  temperature  began  to  fall.  It  was 
taken  down,  well  shaken,  and  rehulked,  building  the  new  bulk  as  the 
old  one  was  taken  down.  In  rebulking,  the  two  top  layers  were  taken 
off  and  placed  in  cases.  Then  the  tobacco  was  taken  from  the  old 
bulk',  layer  by  layer,  and  the  new  bulk  built.  When  about  half  of  the 
bulk  had  been  turned,  the  two  layers  thai  had  been  placed  in  cases  were 
laid  upon  the  new  bulk  and  the  cases  refilled  with  warm  tobacco  frmn 
the  middle  of  the  old  bulk  and  set  aside  until  the  remainder  of  the  old 
bulk  had  been  packed  on  the  new.  when  the  tobacco  in  the  cases  was 
used  to  complete  the  new  bulk.  The  blankets  were  replaced  to  keep 
the  top  of  the  bulk  from  drying  out.  In  tin-  way  what  was  the  inside 
of  the  old  bulk  became  the  outside  of  the  new.  and  what  wa-  the 
outside  of  the  old  bulk  became  the  Inside  of  the  new.  By  following 
this  method  every  part  of  the  bulk  received  the  same  degree  of 
fermentation. 

The  following  table  gives  the  temj  >erat  lire  of  the  bulk  during  fer- 
mentation. Three  thermometer-  were  used,  designated  in  the  table 
a-  .1.  //.  and  C.    These  were  placed  in  different  part-  of  the  bulk — 

A  at  the  bottom.  B  in  the  center,  and  C  at  the  top  of  the  bulk. 
Temperature  of  the  bulk  during  fermentation. 


[Mite. 

Thermometer— 

mometer— 

A. 

- 

in 
11 
1^ 

10 

1 1 
1 . 
11 
II 

N 

i- 
i., 
n 

l'. 

1 

\ 

"■ 

C- 

1904. 

in 
il 
il 

1 
il 
11 

1 

in 
in 

L9M 

Nov.  i  i 

16 

- 
28 

in 
12 
II 
II 

ll 

28 

in 
11 
II 
II 
11 
11 
in 
in 
10 

in 

II 
II 



24 

17 

|> 





1'.' 





•Jl 



22 



:;l 



Jl 

i  i 
ll 

Noi     i 





11  in 

12  10 

U 

li         II 

ll 

in 

11 

II           II 

In 





7....                          

Dec     i 

- 



in. 

i 

11                                            

Bulk  turned. 


22  EXPERIMENTS    IN    GROWING    CUBAN    SEED    TOBACCO. 

The  first  readings  were  taken  on  October  22,  when  temperatures  of 
38  .  :>,:>  .  and  35c  C.  were  recorded  for  A,  />.  and  C  respectively. 
From  these  points  the  temperatures  rose  gradually,  but  not  con- 
stantly, until  November  9,  being  on  that  date  :>0°,  43°.  and  40  C. 
From  this  point  a  decided  decline  began  in  the  ease  of  thermometers 
.1  and  Z?,  the  reading  for  0  remaining  practically  stationary.  The 
decreased  temperature  indicating  that  the  maximum  fermentation 
had  taken  place,  the  tobacco  was  rebulked  November  12,  being  sprayed 
slightly  to  replace  the  moisture  lost  during  the  first  bulking.  The 
temperature  again  rose,  but  the  maximum  recorded,  TV  (\,  reached 
November  23,  was  ('»  degrees  lower  than  the  maximum  recorded  for 
the  first  bulking.  The  temperature  again  declined  in  all  three  ther- 
mometers after  November  28,  touching  40  degrees  on  December  5. 
At  this  time  the  Texas  tobacco  was  taken  from  the  bulk  and  the  Ala- 
bama tobacco  rebulked  and  left  in  this  condition  to  age,  no  further 
record  being  kepi  of  the  temperature,  as  all  danger  from  excessive 
fermentation  had  past. 

GRADING    AM)    BALING. 

Arte]1  the  tobacco  had  been  thoroly  fermented  it  was  assorted  into 
three  grades,  namely,  heavy,  flimsy,  and  broken.  The  first  two 
grades  represented  perfect  leaves,  the  only  difference  being  that  those 
classed  as  heavy  filler  contained  more  body  than  those  placed  in  the 
flimsy  grade.  The  broken  filler  consisted  of  imperfect  leaves  from 
both  the  heavy  and  light  grades,  which,  because  of  this  condition. 
would  not  command  as  high  a  price  as  the  other  two  grades.  These 
grades  were  again  divided,  according  to  the  length  of  the  leaf,  as  fol- 
lows: The  firsl  grade  contained  all  leaves  L6  inches  long,  the  second 
11  inches,  and  the  third  12  inches.  In  this  classification  the  L4-inch 
and  16-inch  lengths  represent  the  most  desirable  leaf. 

After  the  tobacco  had  been  graded  and  sized  it  was  tied  into  hands 
containing  from  forty  to  fifty  leaves,  according  to  the  length  of  the 
leaf.  Four  of  these  hands  of  equal  length  were  tied  toe-ether  to  form 
9  carrot  (see  PI.  II.  fig.  1).  the  heads  brine-  even  and  the  tobacco 
wrapt  from  head  to  tip  with  Cuban  bast.  The  carrots  weighed  from 
1  pound  to  1  |  pound-,  according  to  the  size  of  the  leaf,  texture,  etc 
ion  ;i  ;i  sufficient  number  of  carrots  were  made  they  were  packed 
so  in  :l  bale  (see  II.  II.  fig.  2)  made  of  yaguas  bark,  this  being  the 
trade  package  for  all  southern  grown  filler  tobacco.  The  bale-  were 
then  stacked  in  pile-  5  bale-  high  and  kept  in  a  warm  room  to  allow 
the  leaf  to  undergo  the  process  of  aging.  Each  week-  the  position  <>f 
the  bales  was  changed  until  the  tobacco  had  become  thoroly  and 
evenl  \  seasoned. 


YIELD    AND    COST    OF    PRODUCTION.  23 

YIELD    AND   COST    OF    PRODUCTION. 

The  3  acre-  cultivated  in  1904  yielded,  in  air-cured  tobacco.  1,380 
pounds,  or  4(50  pounds  to  the  acre,  but  owing  to  the  unfavorable 
climatic  conditions  during  a  portion  of  the  growing  season  some  of 
the  tobacco  fired  and  after  curing  was  found  to  be  worthless.  This 
along  with  the  pole-sweat  tobacco  reduced  the  yield  of  commercial 
leaf  to  1,001  pounds,  or  334  pounds  per  acre.  The  total  cost  of  pro- 
duction was  $237.36,  or  23.7  cents  a  pound. 

The  following  statement  gives  in  detail  the  actual  expenses  in- 
curred by  the  Department  in  the  production  of  Cuban  seed  filler  leaf 
tobacco  in  the  Alabama  experiment  of  1904: 

Cost  of  production. 
Plant  bed: 

Labor,  100  hours  at  7\  cents $7.50 

Cheese  Cloth,  280  yards  at  4  cents   ($11.20),  good  for  l'  years    5.60 

Nails.  ."»  pounds,  at  •">  cents ,09 

13.  19 

Preparing  land  : 

Hire  of  one-horse  plow  and  mule 2.  35 

I  abor,  plowing,  7.~>  bours  at  1\  cents       5.  62 

Cotton-seed  meal,  \  ton  at  $25  per  ton   L8.  75 

Cotton-seed   hulls.   \   ton  at  $1]    per  ton 8.25 

Horn   for  distributing  meal .50 

Labor,  distributing  fertilizer  at  7'  cents  per  hour .7.". 

Labor,  team  and  driver,  l<>  hours  at  :;<>  cents  per  hour ::.  00 

39.  22 

Transplanting : 

Labor,  240  bours  at  1\  cents  per  hour 18.00 

Labor,  team  and  driver,   17  bours  ;it  :'<i  cents  per  hour  1  I.  pi 

Tin  buckets,  -  at  1M  cents  each .  |o 

:;•_•.  50 

Field  culture : 

Labor,  hoeing,  i<»  hours  at  5  cents  per  hour  ■_'.  on 

Labor,  plowing,  160  Inmrs  .-it  ~\  cents  per  hour  12.00 

Paris  green,  •">  pounds  al  25  cents  per  p. mud  [.25 

Hoes,  -  al  80  cents  each     pen 

( Jorn  meal,  1 1  bushels  at  si  per  bushel  l.  50 

is.  35 

Suckerlng  and  harvest  ing  : 

Labor,  300  bours  :it  7'  cents  per  hour  ■_•■_•  :,n 

Labor,  team  and  driver,  >'■:.  hours  at  •"■<>  cents  per  hour  19.  50 

[2.  00 


24  EXPERIMENTS    IN    GROWING    CUBAN    SEED    TOBACCO. 

Coring  and  stripping: 

Labor,  ol<>  hours  at  ~>  cents  per  hour (15.50 

Labor,  team  and  driver,  10  hours  at  30  cents  per  hour .*'..  00 

Packing  cases.  4  at  50  cents  each 2.00 

Wrapping  paper,  10  pounds  at  5  cents  per  pound .  50 

21.  IK) 

Other  expenses : 

Rent  of  land.  .°>  acres  at  $3  per  acre 9.00 

Lumber  for  barn,  2  loads  at  $1  per  load , 2.00 

Nails,  10  pounds  at  •">  cents  per  pound .30 

Laths.   1,500  at  $2  per  M 3.00 

Labor,  30  hours  at  7i  cents  per  hour i\  25* 

Labor,  team  and  driver,  13  hours  at  30  cents  per  hour I.  50 

Fermenting  1,001  pounds  of  tobacco  at  5  cents  per  pound 50.  05 

71.10 
Recapitulation  of  expenditures. 


Item. 


Total  cost. 

Cos!  per 
pound  on 

1,001 

pouinK 

Dollars. 

Cents. 

13.19 

1.3 

39.22 

3.9 

3.3 

18.85 

1.8 

42.00 

4.2 

a.  oo 

2.1 

71.10 

7.1 

Seed  bed 

Preparing  land 

Transplanting 

Field  culture 

Suckering  and  harvesting 

( hiring  and  stripping 

( tther  expenses 


Total. 


237.  30 


I  mi-    the    expense   of    growing    tobacco    where   the   farmers   themselves    undertook   the 
work.  Bee  tables  on  pp.  :'.<»  and  31. 


RESULTS  OF  THE  SALE  OF  THE  1903  CROP. 

In  order  to  ascertain  the  opinion  of  the  trade  as  to  the  qualities 
and  commercial  value  of  the  tobacco  grown  in  Alabama,  and  to 
determine  the  possibilities  of  establishing  its  production  upon  a  com- 
mercial scale,  the  Bureau  deemed  it  advisable  to  place  the  crop  of 
L903  upon  the  market  Arrangements  were  made  with  Mr.  Herman 
(i.  Vetterlein,  of  Philadelphia,  to  undertake  the  sale  of  this  tobacco. 
In  the  fall  of  L904  the  Department  issued  a  catalog  showing  the  num- 
ber of  bales  of  the  various  grades  of  tobacco  in  its  possession,  and 
this  catalog,  together  with  samples  of  the  leaf."  was  widely  distrib 

uted.      The    Department    had    no    interest    in    the   sale,   all    nionev    re 

ceived,  less  the  broker's  commission  of  $1  per  bale,  being  turned  over 

to  the  owner  of  the  tobacco  at    Marion. 

Judging  from  Letters  received  by  the  Department  from  various 
firms  purchasing  the  tobacco,  it   seems  to  have  given  satisfaction. 

oThe  Department  reserved  60  per  cent  of  the  crop  t<»  !»<•  distributed  as  free 
samples  t<»  the  trade. 


Bui.  37,  Bureau  of  Soils,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture. 


Plate  III 


Fig.  1.— Type  of  Building  now  Used  for  Curing  Tobacco  in  Alabama. 


Fig.  2.  — Modern  Tuuacco  Barn:  Tyfl  of  Building  that  should  be  Used  in  Al  •• 


DISTRIBUTION    OF    THE    1904    CROP.  25 

altho  some  complain  that  it  is  not  as  aromatic  nor  as  smooth  as  the 

Cuban  leaf.     In  nearly  every  case  the  manufacturers  admit  that  it 

is  one  of  the  best  domestic  fillers  they  haw  ever  tested  and  predict 

a  future  for  it,  if  produced  at  reasonable  price-. 

The  following  letter  was  received  from  Mr.  Vetterlein   in  regard 

to  the  >ale  of  the  tobacco: 

Philadelphia.  Pa..  February   !■'>.  1905. 

Deab  Sir:  The  tobacco  grown  in  Alabama  under  the  supervision  of  the 
Bureau  of  Soils  being  now  sold.  I  would  herewith  report  that,  while  there  was 
a  vrry  complete  and  thorough  distribution  of  the  catalogues  calling  the  atten- 
tion of  tbe  manufacturers  of  cigars  and  dealers  in  leaf  tobacco  to  the  experi- 
ments made  in  the  above-mentioned  State,  the  demand  for  samples  to  test  the 
merits  of  this  tobacco  was  not  so  great  as  one  would  expect,  and  tins  can  only 
be  accounted  for  by  the  fad  that  the  manufacturers  of  cigars  are  loath  to  take 
up  anything  new  or  different  to  what  they  have  been  using  for  fear  of  In- 
juring their  established  brands  of  cigars,  the  result  of  years  of  work  and 
expense.  However,  various  samples  and  bales  have  been  distributed  sufficiently 
to  warrant  the  statement  that  the  Department  has  succeeded  in  ^Towing  a 
superior  piece  of  filler  tobacco,  pari  of  it  being  smooth  and  mellow  in  taste 
and  flavor  and  part  of  it  having  a  trifle  more  body:  but  all  being  very  suitable 
for  mixing  with  Havana  or  even  for  using  clear.  With  continued  growing  and 
handling  it  with  the  natural  improvement  that  one  would  expect  in  its  continual 
production,  in  the  end  it  should  find  a  position  in  the  market  where  its  merits 
should  create  a  satisfactory  demand  To  secure  this  desirable  result  it  will 
be  necessary  for  the  growers  to  be  satisfied  with  small  profits  in  the  beginning, 
and  prices  should  be  made  accordingly,  so  as  to  invite  purchasers. 

Inclosed  you  will  find  a  statement  showing  how  the  tobacco  grown  by  your 
I  department  h;is  been  sold. 

With  kind  regards,  I  remain, 

lours,  truly.  II.  <;.  vi  i  ii  ki.i  i\. 

Statement  of  tobacco  grown  in  Alabama  under  the  supervision  of  the  Bureau 

Of  Soils  and  sold   hi/  Hirudin   Q.    I  <tt<rlcin.  C   II.   Qn  <  r  crop. 

r.  bales.  Nob.  38,  •">'.».  40,  41.  42,  351  pounds  net,  at  30  cents       

l  bale.  No.  37,  7s  pounds  net,  at   10  cents 


$10J 

31.  L'lt 

Commission  at  $1  per  bale  

L30.  50 
Ii  will  be  seen  from  the  above  statement  that  this  tobacco  ranged 
in  price  from  30  to  L0  cents  a  pound.  The  prices  were  for  the 
finished  product,  ami  covered  not  onlv  the  original  cost  of  Browing 
the  tobacco  and  the  expense  of  fermenting,  sorting,  and  packing, 
l>nt  also  the  shrinkage  in  weight  and  other  losses  incident  to  these 
operal  ions. 

DISTRIBUTION  OP  THE  1904  CROP. 

In  previous  experiments  in  Alabama  the  Bureau  had  conducted 
its  investigations  in  cooperation  with  the  owners  of  the  land  on 
which  the  experiment  was  made,  but  in  L904,  in  order  to  have  the 


26       EXPERIMENTS  IX  GROWING  CUBAN  SEED  TOBACCO. 

entire  control  of  the  tobacco  produced,  the  Bureau  rented  the  land 
and  other  facilities  for  producing  the  crop.  As  the  object  of  the 
Bureau  was  to  bring  the  product  to  the  notice  of  the  trade  in  as  wide 
a  manner  as  possible  and  to  receive  from  the  cigar  manufacturers 
and  dealer-  in  leaf  tobacco  their  opinions  as  to  the  quality  of  the 
tobacco  grown  in  Alabama,  it  was  considered  abvisable  to  make  a 
free  distribution  of  the  crop.  From  October  28  to  December  4.  1905, 
samples  were  sent  to  more  than  two  hundred  of  the  principal  cigar 
manufacturers  and  leaf  dealers  of  the  country:  and  from  the  letters 
received  by  the  Department  the  tobacco  seems  to  have  given  satisfac- 
tion. Extracts  from  letters  received  from  Pretzfeld  &  Co.,  of  New 
York,  and  from  Celestine  Vega  &  Co.,  of  Chicago,  follow: 

[  From  Pretzfeld  &  Co.] 
Samples  of  filler  tobacco  and  your  favor  of  October  31  were  duly  received. 
Excuse  if  we  did  not  report  sooner  on  same.  We  find  but  slight  difference  in 
the  merit  of  the  tillers  and  all  of  them  are  good  and  useful.  We  consider  the 
sample  marked  '•Alabama*'  the  most  pleasant  in  taste  and  flavor  and  the  besl 
tobacco. 

[  Prom  Celestine  Vega  &  Co.  ] 

Alabama  filler  tobacco:  Size,  perfect;  burn,  perfect:  taste,  pretty  good; 
texture,  very  good;  curing,  very  good;  packing,  very  good;  value,  high. 

COOPERATIVE  EXPERIMENTS  OF   P. to:, 

Encouraged  by  the  success  of  the  earlier  experiments,  the  Bureau 
issued  a  circular  in  December,  1904,  giving  a  brief  outline  of  the 
work  accomplished  so  far  and  announcing  the  purpose  of  the  Bureau 
to  cooperate  with  a  limited  uumber  of  farmers  in  the  growing  o\'  a 
commercial  crop  during  tin4  season  of  L905. 

In  February,  L905,  a  meeting  of  farmers  interested  in  the  culture 
of  tobacco  was  held  in  the  court-house  at  Marion.  Perry  County,  for 
die  purpose  of  formulating  plans  to  carry  on  the  work.  Owing  to 
the  inclement  weather,  a  severe  ice  storm  raging  on  the  day  sel  for  the 
meeting,  only  a  few  leading  farmer-  attended.  Nine  of  these  agreed 
to  undertake  the  growing  of  tobacco.  The  total  acreage  promised 
was  b_M  acre-.  ;iiid  the  farm-  were  well  distributed  over  the  county 
from  near  Marion  to  points  12  miles  away,  thus  affording  the  farmers 
of  the  county  who  had  the  Orangeburg  type  of  soil  on  their  farms 
the  opportunity  to  watch  tic  progress  and  practicability  of  growing 
Cuban  seed  filler  tobacco  in  their  vicinities.  To  all  the  farmers  agree- 
ing to  cooperate  the  Bureau  of  Soils  promised  to  furnish  imported 
Cuban  seed  ami  to  supervise  the  production  of  (he  crop  In  all  it- 
stage?  free  of  charge. 

On  account  of  the  extremely  unfavorable  weather  conditions  dur 
ing  the  month  of  February  it  was  late  in  the  season  before  the  plant 


COOPERATIVE    EXPERIMENTS    OF    1905.  27 

beds  could  be  prepared.  Some  of  the  beds  were  made  on  the  banks 
of  small  stream-  by  cutting  off  the  timber  and  burning  the  ground  by 
the  dra£  method,  while  other-  were  made  in  gardens  or  other  fertile 
spots  near  the  house  by  making  a  cold  frame,  as  is  the  common  prac- 
tise in  the  northern  tobacco-producing  regions.  Six  hundred  square 
yards  of  plant  bed  were  prepared,  planted,  and  covered  with  cheese 
cloth.  The  covering  hastens  the  growth  of  the  plants,  keep-  out  all 
insects,  and  protects  the  seedlings  from  the  heavy  rains  which  are 
common  to  most  sections  of  the  South.  The  sowing  of  the  beds  began 
on  February  24  and  continued  to  March  10.  from  1  spoonful  to  1  \ 
spoonfuls  of  seed  being  sown  to  every  LO  square  yard-  of  bed. 
From  these  beds  a  fair  stand  of  plants  was  obtained,  the  beds  being 
fertilized  with  cotton-seed  meal  and  nitrate  of  soda.  On  only  one 
bed  was  the  stand  poor,  and  this  was  due  to  a  mistake  in  selecting 
the  seed-bed  soil.  This  bed  was  badly  infested  with  nut  grass,  which 
being  stimulated  by  the  fertilizer  outgrew  and  to  a  large  extent  up- 
rooted many  of  the  young  plant-,  while  more  were  lost  in  the  process 
of  weeding. 

The  various  fields  were  prepared  as  soon  after  the  winter  rains  as 
the  soil  was  in  proper  condition  for  plowing.  The  land  was  broken 
broadcast  with  ordinary  turning  plow-,  some  of  the  farmers  on  the 
stiffer  soils  using  a  two-horse  and  those  on  the  lighter  soil  .a  one-horse 
plow.  Iii  all  cases  the  land  was  broken  dee])  at  this  first  plowing. 
Whenever  -table  manure  was  used  as  fertilizer,  it  was  applied  to 
the  fields  before  they  were  plowed. 

Marly  in  April  the  held-  were  laid  off  with  a  shovel  plow  in  rows 
3  feet  apart  and  the  fertilizer — L,200  pounds  of  cotton-seed  meal  ami 
200  pounds  of  sulfate  of  potash  to  the  acre  distributed  in  the-" 
furrows.  This  was  thoroly  incorporated  in  the  -oil  with  a  "  scooter  " 
plow,  after  which  two  turn  furrows  were  thrown  together,  making  a 
low  ridge  or  bed.  The  fields  were  left  in  this  condition  until  the 
time  of  transplanting,  when  these  beds  were  mellowed  by  running  a 
-mall  straight-tooth  harrow  over  them.  The  1,200  pounds  of  cotton- 
seed meal  and  200  pounds  of  sulfate  of  potash  applied,  or  the  stable 
manure  and  potash,  with  or  without  the  addition  of  cotton  seed  meal. 
were  mixt  in  such  proportion  a-  u>  supply  about  loo  pound  of  nitro 
gen,  24  pound-  of  phosphoric  acid,  and  96  pound-  of  potash  per  acre. 

Several  days  before  transplanting  the  tobacco  to  the  fields  the  cloth 
was  removed  from  all  of  the  plant  beds  for  the  purpose  of  accustom 
ing  the  tender  plants  to  the  direct  heat  of  the  sun.  Transplanting 
\\;i  begun  April  15  and  finished  on  May  15.  In  pulling  the  plants 
from  the  bed  the  farmers  were  cautioned  to  be  careful  to  see  thai  the 
root  systems  were  not  injured,  especially  the  tap  root.  To  guard 
against  such  damage,  the  seed  '"''I  was  saturated  with  water.  After 
pulling  the  plain-  the}  were  placed  in  Hat  boxes  or  baskets  to  facili- 


28  EXPERIMENTS    IN    GROWING    CUBAN    SEED    TOBACCO. 

tate  transportation  to  the  field.  In  order  to  have  the  crops  trans- 
planted early  enough  in  the  season,  it  was  necessary  to  perform  some 
of  this  work  during  dry  weather,  altho  whenever  it  rained  or  was 
cloudy  the  setting  of  plants  was  pushed  vigorously.  During  the 
dry  weather  hole-  from  L2  to  1-1-  inches  apart  were  dug  with  a  hoe 
and  about  half  a  pint  of  water  was  poured  into  the  holes,  the  plants 
being  set  in  the  moistened  soil.  Dry  soil  was  then  drawn  around 
the  plant,  which  prevented  it  from  being  scalded  or  the  soil  around 
it  baking.  When  the  transplanting  was  done  during  wei  weather  it 
was  not  necessary  to  dig  holes  with  the  hoe.  and  a  small  hole  was  made 
with  a  dibble  or  peg,  into  which  the  root  of  the  plant  was  placed  and 
the  M>il  presl  tightly  around  it. 

About  a  week  after  transplanting,  by  which  time  the  plants  had 
taken  root,  the  soil  around  them  was  lightly  broken  with  a  hoe. 
This  was  done  as  often  as  necessary,  either  to  break  the  crust  which 
would  form  on  the  surface  of  the  soil  after  each  rain  or  to  remove 
weeds  or  grass  from  around  the  tobacco.  Shortly  after  the  hoeing, 
cultivation  was  begun  with  small  sweep  plows,  plowing  three  fur- 
row- to  the  row.  which  pulverized  the  soil  on  both  sides  of  the  tobacco 
as  well  as  in  the  middle  of  the  rows.  As  the  size  of  the  tobacco  in- 
creased larger  sweep  plows  were  used  for  cultivating,  and  this  was 
continued  every  week,  or  as  soon  after  each  rain  as  possible,  until  the 
tobacco  had  obtained  its  growth  and  was  ready  to  be  topt.  As  far 
as  possible  a  mulch  was  kepi  on  the  surface  of  the  soil  at  all  times  to 
prevent  the  rapid  evaporation  of  moisture,  as  well  as  to  check  the 
growth  of  weeds  and  grasses. 

The  usual  insect  enemies  of  tobacco  were  encountered,  such  as  cut- 
worms, bud  worms,  and  hornworms.  These,  with  the  exception  of 
the  hornworm,  were  kepi  in  check  by  an  application  of  paris  green 
mixt  either  with  corn  meal  or  line  sifted  -and.  For  the  hornworm 
a  solution  of  pari-  green  was  used,  applied  with  a  knapsack  spray 
pump."  The  crops  were  poisoned  as  often  as  necessary,  and  in  every 
case  the  tobacco  was  poisoned  for  hornworms  prior  to  cutting  and 
placing  it  in  the  bam-.     If  tin-  precaution  were  omitted  the  worms 

would  cause  considerable  damage  to  the  tobacco  while  in  the  process 
of  curing,  at   which  time  it  would  lx*  almost   impossible  to  check  their 

ravag 

The  tobacco  was  ready  for  topping  as  soon  as  the  seed  buds  ap- 
peared. These  were  taken  out  along  with  a  few  of  the  upper  leaves. 
A.fter  topping  the  tobae. ...  suckers  appeared  and  were  removed. 
Cuban  tobacco  ha- a  tendency  to  sucker  freely,  and  it  was  found  nee 

■  \    lo  break  oil'  the  -ncker-  three  times  between  the  time  the  crops 
were  topt  and  their  ripening. 

"A  mixture  of  I  i  >«  >  1 1 1  ■<  i  of  Paris  green  and  i  pound  of  lime  n»  125  Dillons  of 
water  was  used.  :is  recommended  by  the  Bureau  of  Entomology. 


COOPERATIVE    EXPERIMENTS    OF    1905.  29 

Harvesting  was  begun  the  middle  of  June,  Care  was  taken  not 
to  allow  the  tobacco  to  become  overripe,  but  to  cut  it  just  as  it  reached 
the  right  condition.  An  ordinary  corn  knife  was  used,  the  stalk 
being  severed  about  '2  inches  above  the  ground.  It  was  then  allowed 
to  lie  on  the  ground  long  enough  to  wilt — about  thirty  minute-  dur- 
ing the  heat  of  the  day.  or  a  little  longer  when  cut  early  in  the  morn- 
ing or  late  in  the  evening — when  it  was  carried  on  stretchers  or  in  a 
wagon  to  the  barns  and  speared  upon  laths  4  feet  long,  from  8  to  12 
stalks  to  each  lath.  These  were  hung  on  tier-,  there  being  sufficient 
space  between  the  tiers  to  allow  a  free  circulation  of  air. 

There  arc  no  tobacco  barns  in  this  section  of  the  country,  so,  a-  the 
grower-  did  not  feel  justified  in  going  to  the  expense  of  building  until 
the  industry  had  past  the  experimental  stage,  use  was  made  of 
available  buildings  already  upon  the  farm-.  Gin  houses  ami  corn- 
cribs  were  the  buildings  generally  used.  (See  PI.  III.  figs.  1  ami 
2.)  These  were  fitted  with  tier  poles  and  made  as  serviceable  as 
practicable  at  -mall  expense.  These  accommodations  were  at  best  in- 
adequate and  made  it  very  difficult  to  regulate  moisture  conditions, 
especially  in  a  climate  where  the  humidity  i-  so  great  during  the 
curing  season.  During  rainy  period-  it  was  accessary  to  place  fires 
in  the  barn-,  the  tobacco  being  removed  from  the  lower  tiers  imme- 
diately over  tie-  fires.  Planks  were  also  placed  on  the  lower  tier-  over 
the  fires  to  break  the  volume  of  heat  and  to  disseminate  it  to  different 
parts  of  the  building.  Firing  was  kept  up  regularly  during  the  rainy 
weather,  the  barn-  being  tightly  closed  to  prevent  the  entran. 
moisture  from  outside.  During  i\vy  weather  the  barns  were  closed 
during  the  day  and  opened  at  night  to  prevent  too  rapid  curing 
'•haying"  of  the  tobacco.  Considering  the  type  of  building-  in 
which  the  crops  were  cured  and  the  poor  facilities  they  offered,  a 
very  satisfactory  cure  was  obtained  by  most  of  the  growers. 

A-  SOOD  a-  the  tobacco  had  cured,  which  it  did  in  about  five 
week-  from  the  time  of  banging  it  in  the  barn-,  it  wa-  taken  from  the 
tier  pole-,  the  Leaves  stripl  off  the  -talk-,  and  sorted  into  three  grades 
consisting,  respectively,  of  the  top.  middle,  and  -and  Leaves.  These 
were  tied  separately,  from  thirty  to  forty  Leaves  to  each  hand,  and 
afterward-  packed  in  boxes  and  delivered  to  the  warehouse  at  Marion 
for  fermentation.  The  tobacco  was  bulked  on  September  9  and  al- 
lowed to  remain  in  bulk  until  September  Is.  when  it  was  taken  down 
and  rebulked.  The  temperature  wa-  n<»t  recorded  during  the  first 
bulking,  but  when  taken  down  on  October  3  the  temperature  of  the 

bulk    had    reached    1<>:»       F.      On    this  date   tin1   tobaCCO    wa-    packed    in 

cases  for  shipment  to  Quincy,  Fla.,  a-  the  entire  crop  had  been  pur- 
chased from  the  farmers  at  L5  cent-  per  pound  by  a  firm  of  Leaf 
dealers  and  packers  of  that  city,  who  finished  the  fermentation  and 

assort  ing  in  thru-  <>w  n  w  arehouse. 


30  EXPERIMENTS    IX    GROWING    CUBAN    SEED    TOBACCO. 

The  yield  from  12|  acres,  not  including  unmerchantable  tobacco, 
was  4,457  pounds,  or  356|  pounds  to  the  acre.  The  loss  in  weight  in 
handling  and  curing  was  293  pound-,  and  the  average  weight  of  the 
tobacco  a-  harvested  was  380  pounds  per  acre.  The  Largest  yield  ob- 
tained by  any  individual  grower  was  848  pound-  per  acre  and  the 
lowest  260  pounds  per  acre,  green  weight. 

Art  nit!  expenses  incurred  by  the  grower  securing  the  largest  yield. 

[Area  planted,  1?,  acres.] 
Plant  ho.l  : 

Stable  manure,  13  loads,  at  25  cents  per  load $3.25 

Labor,  ox  and  wagon,  1  day 1 1.50 

&e  doth.  135  yards,  at  ."»  cents  per  yard 4.05 

Nitrate  of  soda.  !."»  pounds,  at  .".]  cents  per  pound .  •"><> 

Labor,  110  hours,  at  5  cents  per  hour 5.50 


14.  SO 


Preparing  land  : 

Labor,  plowing  with  two-horse  plow,  10  hours,  at  20  cents  per  hour__  2.  on 

Labor,  plowing  with  one-horse  plow,  15  hours,  at  10  cents  per  hour__  1.  50 
Labor,  distributing  fertilizer,  horse  and  wagon,  10  hours,  at  10  cents 

per    hour       1. 00 

Stable  manure,  20  loads,  at  25  cents  per  load 5.00 

Cotton-seed  meal,  500  pounds,  at  $1.10  per  hundred            5.50 

Sulfate  of  potash,  200  pounds,  at  $3.50  per  hundred 7.00 


22.00 


Transplanting  and  cultivating: 

Labor,  56  hours,  at  5  cents  per  hour 2.80 

Labor,  hoeing,  :'.<>  hours,  at    I  cents  per  hour 1.20 

Labor,  plowing,  one-horse  plow,  17  hours,  at  1<>  cents  per  hour 1.  70 


ro 


Poisoning : 

Labor.   12  bom-.  :ii  ."»  cents  per  hour  .  60 

Paris  green,  •"'.  pounds,  at  25  cents  per  pound  .75 


!.:;:> 


Suckering  and  topping : 

Labor,  10  hours,  at  5  cents  per  hour  2.00 


Harvesting  and  stripping: 

Labor,  125  hours,  al  5  cents  per  hour  6.25 

Labor,  230  hours,  at  '■'<  cents  per  hour 6.90 

13.  15 


rtage  and  miscellaneous  expenses: 

Labor,  team  and  driver,  10  hour-,  at  30  cents  per  hour  3.00 

— .  5,  at  s>  cents  each        .                   1.25 

Renl  of  barn  and  Implements,  2  months,  al  $2.50        —    ..     -  —        5.00 

Lath,  2,500,  at  $2.50  per  thousand                                    6.25 

Kent   of  land.   U  acres,  at  $1.50  per  acre 2.25 


COOPERATIVE    EXPERIMENTS    OE    1905.  31 

Total   operating  expenses $76.75 

Value  of  1.272  pounds  of  tobacco,  at  15  cents  per  pound  190.80 

Profit 114.05 

Cost  of  growing  tobacco,  per  pound  .06 

Actual  expenses  incurred  by  the  grower  securing  tin-  smallest  yield. 

\  Area  planted,  l  acre.  | 
Plant  bed  : 

Stable  manure.   1   load,  at  25  cents $0.25 

Nitrate  of  soda,  10  pounds,  at  .".  J   cents  per  pound—     .  ..*'».". 

Cheese  cloth.  40  yards,  at  :'>  cents  per  yard—  1.20 

Labor,  50  hours,  at  ~>  cents  per  hour 2.50 

Preparing  soil : 

Labor,  plowing,  one-horse  plow.  2<>  hours,  at  1"  cents  per  hour 2.00 

Labor,  distributing  fertilizer,  horse  and  wagon,  1<>  hours.  a1  20  cents 

per    hour 2.  nil 

Cotton-seed  meal.  500  pounds,  at  $1.10  per  hundred  5.50 

Sulfate-  of  potash.  200  pounds,  at  $3.50  per  hundred  7.  00 

Stable  manure.  b»  loads,  at  25  cents  per  load—  2.50 

Transplanting  and  cultivating: 

Labor,  .'!<)  hours,  at  r>  cents  per  hour 1.50 

Labor,  hoeing,  10  hours,  at  5  cents  per  hour  .50 

Labor,  plowing,   13  hours.  ;it   10  cents  per  hour  1.30 

.*?.  30 

Poisoning: 

Labor,   10  hours,  at  5  cents  per  hour  .T>[> 

Paris  green,  2  pounds,  al  25  cents      .50 

1.00 

Suckering  and  topping : 

Labor,  30  hour-,  at  5  cents  per  bom-  1.50 

1  [arvesting  and  shipping  : 

Labor.    ir><>  hours,  :it   5  cents  per   hour  1 

Cartage  and  miscellaneous  expenses 

Labor,  cartage,  and  boxes  2.50 

Kent   of  farm  and   implements 

Kent   of   1   acre  of  land 

Tobacco  -inks.  Linn.  ai  $2.50  per  thousand  2.  75 

10,  25 

Value  of  379  pounds  tobacco  at  15  cents  per  [>ound 

Operal ing  expenses  W.  83 

Profll  over  operating  expenses  10  02 

Cost  of  growing  tobacco,  per  pound  •  12 


32  EXPERIMENTS    IX    GROWING    CUBAN    SEED    TOBACCO. 

The  marked  difference  in  the  yield  and  cost  of  these  two  crops  was 
to  a  slight  extent  due  to  the  climatic  conditions  under  which  they 
were  grown.  The  soil  in  both  fields  was  the  same,  the  composition 
and  the  quantities  of  fertilizers  applied  were  the  same,  but  great 
differences  were  noticed  in  the  preparation  of  the  soil.  The  grower 
obtaining  the  largest  yield  plowed  his  land  with  a  two-horse  plow, 
breaking  the  soil  deeper  than  the  other,  who  broke  his  land  with  a 
one-horse  plow.  This  difference  in  preparing  the  land  proved,  under 
the  climatic  conditions  of  the  season  of  L906,  to  be  a  very  important 
factor  in  determining  the  yield  and  profit  of  the  crops.  During  a 
part  of  the  growing  season  this  section  of  the  country  suffered  from 
the  lack  of  rain,  and  all  crops  planted  on  land  that  had  received 
only  a  shallow  plowing  in  the  spring  began  firing,  while  those  crop- 
where  the  soil  had  been  plowed  deeper  and  afterwards  kept  in  a  good 
state  of  cultivation  continued  to  grow  and  keep  green.  The  differ- 
ence illustrates  the  advantage  of  such  cultivation  as  will  conserve 
-oil  moisture. 

This  object  lesson  in  tillage  should  be  well  imprest  on  every  farmer 
who  wishes  to  obtain  the  Best  results  from  a  crop  of  tobacco.  The 
land  should  be  plowed  deep  every  year,  and  if  the  plowing  is  done 
in  the  fall  subsoilihg  is  also  advisable,  especially  on  the  Orangeburg 
types  of  soil.  The  crop  should  be  kept  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation 
thruoul  its  growth,  and  as  soon  after  each  rain  as  possible  the  sur- 
face should  be  stirred  to  produce  a  soil  mulch.  The  crop  should  be 
hoed  by  hand  whenever  necessary.  This  operation  is  usually  re- 
quired when  the  plants  are  small,  at  which  time  a  growth  of  grass 
or  weeds  is  especially  injurious  to  their  development 

CONCLUSION. 

In  L906  the  acreage  of  tobacco  in  Alabama  increased  more  than 
200  per  cent,  and  there  seems  to  be  no  reason  why  a  profitable  Indus- 
try should  not  be  built  up  if  the  farmers  will  only  conduct  it  along 
conservative  line-  and  endeavor  to  produce  the  type  of  leaf  that  is 
demanded  by  the  trade.  Diversified  farming  must  be  the  future  aim 
of  the  southern   farmers,  and  the  introduction  of  tobacco  in  central 

Alabama    will  be  one  more  crop  added   to  the  staple   products  of  thai 

-eel  ion  of  the  Stale. 

O 


III  IIIIIIU 

3  1262  08928  6438 


